Video Information

Information

This is an oldschool-style metal AMV with tragic overtones, perhaps contrary to some of the messier and/or weirder stuff that I've put out lately - not to say it's not odd in its own way. I paid particular attention to striking a balance between storytelling, action and athmosphere.

It should be technically superior to anything I've put out to date, both in terms of the quality of scene selection and sync, and the video quality which has been carefully cleaned up from a fairly good source. As far as general-interest AMV-ing goes, I would consider this to be my best work.

For those who've seen Berserk, I think this video will require little explanation. To me, this is my own interpretation of that series' core story and main message. It's slanted somewhat towards Guts for action purposes, and Griffith for the storyline (as I think it is in the anime); and shies away from any side characters.

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An ironic side note:

Almost exactly 24 hours after this video's release, the machine I edited it on (dubbed Space Groove Mk. Asswind) blew a processor+mobo. It's likely that the video would not have survived if I held off for more fine-tuning as I initially planned...
...a curse of the Crimson King, hmm?

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This video has been submitted to the "Cold War" AMV contest, run by two Russian anime/game fansites (Utenafan/Great Dragon Dale). The contest is currently running, and if anyone reading here happens to be a member of either one's forums - I highly encourage you to go and watch all the entries, and then vote for the best when the time comes.
Video list: http://utenafan.org.ru/ufforum/topic.php?forum=1&topic=168
(forum is in Russian)

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Song:

The song is an excellent cover recorded by Saxon in 2001 for their album "Killing Ground", of King Crimson's original 1969 anthem "In the Court of the Crimson King". It's a very faithful cover, and though the original is every bit as AMV-worthy - being softer, it wouldn't be a good match for Berserk in an AMV. For those about to scream "Saxon chopped up ITCOTCK!", you can settle down - I chopped up ITCOTCK, since the original cover is 6 minutes long, but I got it down to 4 by cutting off extra chorus sections, the intro, and the final verse.

Contrary to popular belief, this song is not a shameless self-reference by King Crimson, but quite the reverse - yep, the legendary band, grandfather of many styles of rock music (and yet still musically ahead in our time, 37 years after it all began!) was named after this very song, written by Peter Sinfield in early 1969. While this is not relevant to the video in any obvious way - the song is filled with hidden meanings and messages, of which a book-sized tract has been written over at Sinfield's site: http://www.songsouponsea.com/Promenade/CourtA.html

Essentially, the song is based around the image of Frederick II, Holy Roman Emperor in the early 13th century - much like King Crimson, a figure ahead of its time, a secular intellectual at the height of the middle ages, a poet and an appreciator of all things Eastern, and a figure greatly revered by Dante (and duly placed in the 6th circle of hell among the heretics).

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Lyrics:

The rusted chains of prison moons
Are shattered by the sun.
I walk the road, horizons change
The tournament's begun.
The purple piper plays his tune,
The choir softly sing;
Three lullabies in an ancient tongue,
In the court of the crimson king.

The keeper of the city keys
Put shutters on the dreams.
I wait outside the pilgrim's door
With insufficient schemes.
The black queen chants
The funeral march,
The cracked brass bells will ring;
To summon back the fire witch
To the court of the crimson king.

The gardener plants an evergreen
Whilst trampling on a flower.
I chase the wind of a prism ship
To taste the sweet and sour.
The pattern juggler lifts his hand;
The orchestra begin.
As slowly turns the grinding wheel
In the court of the crimson king.

[NOTE - the next (and last) verse is not in the video, though it is present in the full-length Saxon cover. Kind of interesting, as it fits in with the theme of the video quite well - but I really didn't feel like I had to stretch the point any further. Musically, it's the repeat of verse 2]

On soft grey mornings widows cry
The wise men share a joke;
I run to grasp divining signs
To satisfy the hoax.
The yellow jester does not play
But gently pulls the strings
And smiles as the puppets dance
In the court of the crimson king.

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Technical info:

The video has been more thoroughly edited and beta-tested than my others, with as many as 9 people having watched it and commented on it before the final release. It's also more "finely cut" than my others - the action sequence in the middle of the video in particular, where average clip length is only about 7 frames each!